Update README.md

README.md

@@ -1,8 +1,30 @@
 # datastore-metadata
-All the LIS Datastore YAML files under one roof.
+All the LIS Datastore YAML files (and some others we consider "metadata") under one roof.
 
-This repository contains the description_[Genus]_[species].yml and README.[collection].yml files in the LIS Datastore.
+This repository contains the description_[Genus]_[species].yml and README.[collection].yml files in the LIS Datastore as well as some other files handled as metadata.
+
+Several types of files should be checked for valid format and contents prior to pushing to the datastore-metadata repository:
+
+```
+  validate.sh description_genus_species YAML_FILE
+  validate.sh description_genus         YAML_FILE
+  validate.sh readme                    YAML_FILE
+```
+
+Each collection, also contains a CHECKSUM.[collection].md5 file (mainly because this can be used as a list of the datas files in the collection); these should be generated with the script [mdsum-folder.bash](https://github.com/legumeinfo/datastore-specifications/blob/main/scripts/mdsum-folder.bash)
+
+After creating a new collection in the datastore (or making changes to the contents of an existing collection, which should be followed by validation as described above and an update to the CHECKSUM.[collection].md5), please be sure to:
+
+```
+git add README.[collection].yml CHECKSUM.[collection].md5
+git commit (with some informative log message)
+git push
+```
 
 All other files are blocked from being added to the repository in .gitignore -- except files that probably shouldn't belong in the Datastore to begin with.
+Having these files up-to-date in the github repo is important not only for version control purposes, but also because some of our tools operate by cloning this repo and using the metadata as a light-weight representation of the state of the datastore. Some files (e.g. BUSCO summary files) have also been introduced into this repository to facilitate consumption by applications from a cloned version of the repository.
+
+GitHub Actions will now validate your file(s) upon commit and will fail if they don't pass validation, although this is only apparent from the github UI (https://github.com/legumeinfo/datastore-metadata/actions) and leaves the files in the datastore proper still needing to be fixed.
+
+For additional description of protocols related to data curation for the data store, see https://github.com/legumeinfo/datastore-specifications/tree/main/PROTOCOLS
 
-GitHub Actions will now validate your file(s) upon commit and will fail if they don't pass validation.